


Loved by the Spirits

by Dragonfeathers



Category: Original Work
Genre: Belly Kink, F/M, Fantasy, Slow Burn, Stuffing, Weight Gain, kink fic with plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2020-07-10 10:01:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19903906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonfeathers/pseuds/Dragonfeathers
Summary: *warning! This is a kink fic! Please look at and be aware of the tags!*A wandering swordsman with a mysterious past and a the future Duchess of Néavania meet in... strange... circumstances, but nevertheless, seem to be falling in love.Thank goodness for troll banqueting customs.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another warning! This is a stuffing kink fic, please be aware and do not read if it may be upsetting to you, or if it just isn’t your cup of tea. Have a lovely day!
> 
> Everyone else: I really love the awesome original story stuffing fics on ao3 and wanted to try my own! It’s set in kind of a mix of English Middle Ages with Japanese Shinto fantasy mixed in :) I hope you enjoy!

Estelle was slightly panicking about her first meeting with the northern troll tribe. It was the first time she’d been trusted to go in any sort of official capacity- as the daughter of the Duke she was starting to take on more of his responsibilities now she was of age, and it was thrilling to be allowed to do so, but- also, absolutely terrifying. 

Relations between the human Duchy and their troll neighbours was cordial at the moment- but it hadn’t always been. The current era of prosperity and peace had been built on a foundation of war and mistrust between the various peoples of the world, in no small part thanks to her human ancestors. So she was determined that her first official engagement with the northern Troll kingdom would go without a hitch. She had her father’s chief advisor, Gerard, along for the trip too to make sure everything went perfectly. 

Except, there was one rather... large problem. Troll hospitality customs dictate that if a guest doesn’t eat all that is served to them, it is a sign of disrespect and that the food was not good- but even the smallest Trollish people were a good foot or so taller than humans, and their portion sizes tended to reflect that... Estelle’s father had assured her that it would be alright if she didn’t finish (and indeed, she didn’t believe it was at all possible for her to eat a ten-course meal all at once) but she wanted to try her best- so when she had heard that there was an eating contest at the summer festival in the castle town, she had slipped out of the castle with her lady-in-waiting in hopes of getting a few tips. 

She found herself smiling as she walked through the crowds- the familiar sounds and sights of the festival were so comforting to her and it was tempting to forget her goal and just wander off to look at the dancing, or to try her luck at a game, or to squabble with a food vendor over the prices of sweets. 

She got distracted by a man selling beautiful paper lucky charms and nearly didn’t reach the stage where the contest was being held in time at all- it was only thanks to Lucy, her lady-in waiting, who practically dragged her away, that she made it in time to see the final round- only five people were left, three women and two men- and they were all eating steamed pork buns with varying levels of enthusiasm. 

The food smelled great, but Estelle’s heart sank when she saw the faces of most of the contestants -three of whom looked practically nauseated as they slogged their way through. One by one, they dropped out- until the only two left were a man and a younger girl- the only two who seemed to be enjoying the whole thing anymore.

Finally, the girl put her food down and shook her head, admitting defeat, and the crowd applauded as a man in a chef’s hat lifted the remaining contestant’s hand in the air and presented him with his prize. The man seemed a little dazed, standing up with some difficulty and a hand on his stomach, but still laughed and jumped down from the stage to join the crowd. 

Lucy elbowed her. “You should go ask him for tips.” She pushed her towards the man with a knowing grin, as Estelle squirmed. Lucy knew her too well- the man was exactly her type- tall and broad with kind eyes and an easy smile. He looked to be youngish- mid twenties at the eldest- and had dark skin, long hair in a messy ponytail and tired shadows under his eyes. 

He noticed her coming towards him- the townsfolk recognised her and let her through respectfully, and she shyly nodded back, and she sighed. Here goes nothing, she thought. 

She made a polite half-bow. “Congratulations on winning the contest.” 

“Thanks.” He nodded back- which her advisors would probably say was far too familiar but she liked it, she had precious few friends in her station and wanted to feel close to this man. 

“I’m Estelle of Nearvania, the Duke’s daughter.”

“Oh- um-“ he bowed deeper. “I’m Kai Arrefort, from Kingsdown.”

She felt her eyebrows rise. “Kingsdown? What brings you all the way here?”

“I’m walking the sacred circlet.” 

“Ah.” She nodded. The sacred circlet was a path linking 40 shrines in the area, and although it was uncommon to draw pilgrims from so far out west, she supposed he must just be particularly religious. “I wish you pleasant travels on your journey, and go with the blessings o the spirits.” 

Although he looks as though he doesn’t need the blessings of the spirits at the moment, she thought wryly, trying not to smile at her own inner joke. They often said that people who had good luck must be beloved by the spirits, and that also extended to people who were plainly eating a little too well- although in Kai’s case, she couldn’t tell if the round belly pushing at the front of his tunic had been there before, or if it was because he’d just eaten such a vast quantity of food. She tried not to look at it, but couldn’t help but notice the gentle hand he kept rubbing at the side of it, and the lopsided grin that kept migrating back onto his face as though he were proud of himself as he looked down at his gut. 

She swallowed. “Uh, forgive me if I’m being a little- well- “ she sighed and started again. “You see, I have a meeting with the trollish Matriarch coming up, and, you know, it’s rude to leave food but they serve so very much, but I’d hate to give the wrong impression...” she tailed off. “I was wondering if you had any advice.”

“Oh.” He made a face. “Be slightly short of food for 10 years?” 

“Sorry- I didn’t mean to be rude-“ 

He laughed. “No, I’m sorry, I just don’t really have any tips.” He shrugged and patted his stomach. “Didn’t get the chance to eat until I was full that often, so now I don’t know when to stop. Got some giant’s blood in me too and that helps. But mostly I’m just greedy.” 

“Ah, I see.” She tried not to seem too disappointed, and he frowned, trying to think.

“I guess make sure to keep drinking water, and chew everything properly. And take it as slow as you can.” He shrugged. “And wear loose clothes?” 

She sighed. “It’s ten full courses.”

He whistled. “That’s a lot.”

“I know I won’t be able to finish, but I’d hoped to eat as much as I can so as not to upset them...”

“And you’re so tiny.” He said.

“What if-“ Lucy piped up from beside her, looking devious. “What if you took Kai with you.” 

Estelle blushed. “What?”

Her companion shrugged and winked at her. “Take him along instead of me as your other guest. I bet he’d be able to eat it all- and enjoy it, too, which is why they don’t want you to leave food after all. Then at least one person in your party would finish.” 

“That... isn’t such a bad idea.” She turned back to Kai. “Would you like to come with me to the banquet?” 

He blinked, and then cracked a smile. “Uh, what’s the catch?”

“It might be very boring- but I promise you the trollish cuisine is to die for.”

“When is it?” 

“Four days from now.” 

He shrugged. “I can’t say no to free food.” 

—-

Estelle was actually glad of Kai’s presence far earlier than she’d expected- he seemed relaxed and headed into the troll’s cave and through the carved out tunnels to the banqueting hall as though it were any other event- he was polite, but had a smile that looked genuine, even when he was talking to a troll that could rip him to pieces without breaking a sweat. It was a welcome relief from the dissaproval she could feel radiating from Gerard, her father’s advisor - even though her bringing an unexpected guest was the cause of some of it. 

They were seated with the trolls Matriarch, several of her close friends and advisors, and a few other trolls she didn’t recognise - and thanks to them following the usual seating plan alternating men and women, she was sat on the other side of the Matriarch from her advisor, between Gerard and another troll. Gerard promptly turned his back to her and monopolised the matriarch’s conversation - at least that took some of the pressure off. Gerard was good at what he did. Kai was roughly opposite and shot her a reassuring smile as they sat down and the first course was brought out. 

Troll food itself was never the problem with the dinner customs, she thought, as the first dish was passed over her shoulder onto her placemat, a delicious smelling starter of thinly sliced smoked meats and various tiny pots of sauces to pair them with- it was just the sheer amount of it. She tried to eat slowly as she cleared her plate and hoped that Kai actually had as big an appetite as he claimed to. 

The next course arrived - thankfully, less filling- soup made from the potato like root vegetables that grew down into the caves - and she was only feeling a little full as she put her cutlery down and tried to keep her mind off it and on the conversation she was having with a troll named sigmund who was telling her about cave formations. 

Unfortunately, the next course was bigger- little steamed buns filled with meat and sliced vegetables and dressing- and although it was delicious it was filling- and her stomach was starting to hurt. 

Her heart sank as Gerard put his cutlery down and announced that he was finished, to a few murmured comments and pointed looks from the rest of the table. 

He had said beforehand that he wasn’t going to make a glutton out of himself just for some trolls- but- surely he could make a bit more of an effort for his hosts’ customs- 

He didn’t want this to go well, she realised. He didn’t think she should be trusted with things like this, so he wanted it to go badly so he could have someone else sent next time and send her back to doing unimportant things. 

She grit her teeth and managed one and a half more courses- a plate of deep fried crispy things she half suspected was some sort of insect but didn’t want to know - and a whole small bird like a partridge or something that proved to be her undoing.

“Its all so delicious, but I’m afraid I simply can’t eat anymore.” She said, as politely as she could, and her conversation partner made some sympathetic noises about how small humans were. 

She shot a worried look over to Kai- he seemed to be alright, despite being five plates of food in- he looked relaxed and not like he was in any pain yet- he even seemed to be really enjoying the food- That was a relief.

The next course was brought out- a thick steak and some sort of crunchy leaves- and Kai looked over at her and shook his head after the first bite. “It’s such a shame you have to miss out on this one- this meat is perfect.” 

Do we need to worry about you yet? Said the troll next to him- Hildegard? Helgard? Something like that, she thought. 

He laughed. “And miss out on all this? Never!” 

He seemed to keep up just fine over the seventh and eight courses- he made such a lot of noise as he ate , she noticed- not loudly, but every time he tried something new he shut his eyes and sighed like it was the best thing he’d ever eaten, and he kept up a steady stream of compliments to the chef as he ate.

During the ninth course he sat back a bit, and his breathing got a bit heavier- but by this time the trolls themselves were slowing down too and Estelle breathed a sigh of relief and tried to gesture to Kai that he could stop now - she thought the trolls were happy that at least one of their guests had properly enjoyed the food. 

Either he didn’t get it, though, or he wanted to carry on, because although his hand kept migrating back to his stomach and he looked a bit uncomfortable, he didn’t stop eating. 

She felt a jolt of - something- go through her when she followed his hand down- it was really obvious where all the food was- his belly was pushing against his shirt and looked several inches larger than it had been- and it hadn’t been small to start with, she thought. 

He was still smiling though- his eyelids drooping a little and he seemed a bit dazed- but it didn’t stop him from eating his way through two more courses of dessert before he leaned back with a sigh, arching his back and rubbing his taught stomach as he shook his head at the server with the next course. “I can’t. I’m so full.” 

He sank down with an even deeper sigh. “Aaah, that was fantastic. I haven’t eaten like that in ages.” 

The matriarch laughed at him- his eyes were sliding shut and he looked absolutely wrecked. “Are you sure? This is the last course.” She popped one of the chocolates she’d just been given into her mouth and he looked torn. 

“Oh, I’ll try.” He said, accepting the plate and rubbing the bottom of his stomach with one hand as he chose one of the chocolates with another. 

Estelle felt a little bolder and leant over to grab a chocolate from his plate. 

“Hey!” He said weakly

“I’m helping!” She said, savouring the rich smooth taste of the dark chocolate. “I didn’t make it to dessert!” 

The matriarch laughed and suddenly Estelle was back in her sphere of conversation- she was asked about her father’s health, and then things progressed to more serious matters, like the situation in the neighbouring duchy and the latest trade deals with the merfolk- as the other trolls made small talk and Kai mostly sat back rubbing his stomach with a dreamy smile on his face. 

And then the banquet ended. The trolls thanked them for coming, and they were shown back through the tunnels to their horses. The Matriarch- Agata- saw them off personally, shaking Estelle’s hand and remarking on how nice it was that her father had sent his daughter this time- and then they were on their way.

It was rather slow going at first- Kai was a bit more coherent than he was earlier but still very out of breath and cradling his stomach, walking along beside his horse and meaning everyone else (Gerard, Estelle, and their guard) had to slow their horses so as not to leave him behind, much to Gerard’s annoyance.

Even when he did finally mount his horse and they could ride at a faster pace, he looked like he was in no small amount of pain. 

“Are you alright?”

“I’m doing great. Just- so much food...” he gasped, but flashed her a grin.

“Thanks for coming. You were a big help.”

Gerard pointedly sniffed and rode his horse in between the two, effectively cutting off any further conversation for the rest of the ride home, but Estelle still invited Kai back to the next meeting in a fortnight’s time, trying not to blush too hard when he accepted.


	2. The Grand Lunar Shrine, and other events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Estelle admits some things, and Kai searches for something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and kudos-ing and commenting (!) on the last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one, too!

Kai kicked off his boots and all but threw himself onto the inn bed, curling up around his stomach with a happy sigh. The day had been a surreal kind of blissful torture- he couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten so much- let alone been told to eat like that- but sitting still and keeping up polite conversation when all he wanted to do was unbuckle his belt and probably get himself off but also maybe just sit there petting his overfull stomach- that took all his willpower. 

And then the journey home had been a different kind of torture- horseriding when you were in any kind of pain was no joke, even if that pain was self inflicted, and every step the horse took had him wincing and hunching his shoulders to try to take the pressure off his gut. 

Ah, but now he was finally able to relax. His stomach was starting to settle a bit so it didn’t ache as much, but he still just felt e n o r m o u s. The thought made him grin as he ran a hand up under the hem of his tunic to get at the fastenings of his trousers, sighing when he undid the button and released a breath he didn’t even realise he was holding in.

That was better. He wriggled his way under the covers and shoved his face into the pillow as he ran both hands over his belly, just feeling the firmness underneath the layer of fat that was starting to build up. The thought gave him another jolt of satisfaction- after so long of never having quite enough to eat, the thought of being able to eat enough to gain weight was dizzyingly exciting. He ground his hips into the mattress, teasing his dick through his trousers. 

And Estelle had invited him back. He tried to stop himself from grinning. The secretive smile she’d given him as she’d asked... her eyes had been on him all the way through the banquet as he ate... she was so into it. Of course, the petite, beautiful Duchess-to-be would never take it any further, but, it was a fun flirtation and he lapped up the attention like fine wine. 

He slid a hand into his trousers and pants to get at himself with a groan and rolled onto his back, throwing the other arm over his face and arching back, just enjoying the overwhelming sensations as physical pleasure slowly overtook him. 

—-

The next day, Gerard was being a tad more snippy than usual but didn’t make a fuss as Estelle’s father reaffirmed that she’d be conducting the meetings with the trolls in his place for the meantime, and that all being well, he’d look into extending her duties again once she’d adjusted to the extra workload.

The residual glow of being trusted stayed with her the entire morning of going through cargo papers at the customs office at the port, and then through a dull afternoon of tutoring with Gerard, and even Lucy teasing her wasn’t enough to really bother her as they ate a small dinner out on the balcony overlooking the sea.

“He’s travelled on from the inn he was staying in yesterday already- he’s headed for Lune Fell- and I’ve been asking around all day in town trying to find out more about him but the only thing anybody knows is that he’s from Kingsdown and he used to be a soldier.” 

“Lucy...” she protested weakly. 

“What? As your friend, who just haaaaappened to be in town seeing the tailor about that new dress you need for when Lord what’s-his-face visits, it was my duty to make the most of the opportunity to find out about your latest crush.”

“It’s viscount what’s-his-face actually, and the tailor said that it wouldn’t be ready til tomorrow at the earliest so you didn’t need to check today.” She pointed out. 

Lucy shrugged. “But you’re not denying that you like him.”

“Lucy!” Estelle shook her head. “You said it yourself, he’s a soldier. There’s no room for any untoward behaviour from either of us.” 

Lucy grinned. “But have you seen his arms though? And his shoulders? I bet he’s crazy strong- he must have some stamina- and he’s got plenty of cushioning for extra comfort~”

“Stop it!” Said Estelle, but she was laughing now. 

“I don’t know whether to climb him like a tree or just use him as a pillow.” 

“Why not both, one after the other.” 

“Now there’s an idea!” Lucy snapped her fingers. “That’s why you’re the one in public relations.” She put her head on one side. “Now that I think of it- isn’t what’s-his-face’s son a bit on the chunky side too? There’s someone who you could have an appropriate relationship with-“

“Speaking of relationships- has anything happened with that kitchen maid you were crushing on?

“I see your deflection, and thank you, she did indeed smile at me this morning and I think I melted on the spot from the cuteness, but we’re still talking about your thing for big boys-“

“Stooop! It’s so embarrassing when you say it out loud!” Cried Estelle, burying her face in her hands.

“It’s a good thing rich boys tend to run large- most of the suitors your dad tries to shove at you seem to fit your type.” 

“Noooo....” 

“Noo as in stop talking or noo as in you’re denying that you have a type?”

“...” Estelle felt like she was tomato red, but somehow her mouth kept moving. “...I like really buff men too, so Kai is better because he’s both.” 

Lucy crossed her arms and nodded, mock serious. “I see, I see. It’s the combination. That’s pretty hard to come by in your circles.” 

“Most of those guys are soft little weaklings.” Complained Estelle. “Kai is like... an actual man.”

“I’m mostly into women these days, but even I can admit that he does have a very lovely arse.” Nodded Lucy. 

—-

After three days of walking, Kai finally reached the Grand Lunar Shrine. He stood beneath the stone archway carved into the mountain, trying to catch his breath as he looked back over his shoulder at the winding staircase cut into the mountainside and out across the landscape below. He’d stopped trying to count the steps after about a hundred or so- he couldn’t remember if the sign at the bottom had said there were one thousand or ten thousand steps, but either amount was far too many. His bad knee ached, but he was glad he’d made it up the stairs before the heat of midday. 

He straightened up and walked towards the noise of the main shrine.

As one of the three principle shrines in the province, he’d heard the Grand Lunar Shrine was extravagantly decorated and always heaving with people, but it didn’t really prepare him for the real thing. People were everywhere- not just people paying their respects but priests, shrine maidens selling lucky charms and herbal remedies, and dozens of traders with food stands or just selling their wares spread out on a blanket on the ground. The roar of the crowd mixed with the clatter of dozens of shrine bells ringing. 

The ornately carved buildings were dripping with gold, tiny sculptures of animals and painted patterns, with layers and layers of tiled roofs piled on top of each other like some kind of bizarre wooden cake. And there were lanterns everywhere- stone lanterns on pillars, round paper lanterns under wooden rain covers, tall bamboo lanterns with patterns drilled into them- even in the daylight it was beautiful. 

He let the crowds pull him through the shrine complex to the main altar- a building painted with perhaps a tad more gold than the others, leading through to a small garden with a lake where the golden statue of the moon deity sat surrounded by golden lotus flowers, and at the lakes edge by her followers praying to her for luck. 

He considered buying a wooden prayer card to write and tie on one of the sacred trees, but... he didn’t really know exactly what he was praying for, so he just threw his coins into the water, knelt down and bowed. The moon goddess was most sacred to women and mothers, and to sex workers as well. None of which really applied to him, but you had to visit each shrine on the route, and the moon was also supposed to be kind to people who had fallen on hard times, so, he asked for her help anyway. 

He sat there for a long time, not really... feeling anything. He tried closing his eyes, but didn’t help and just sent his mind to places he’d rather not go, and so went back to intently studying the statue. She smiled blandly back at him.

At the end of the day, he stood up, clapped three times to announce to the spirits that he was leaving, and retreated back down the hill, feeling hollow. 

The small town at the base of the hill was, if possible, even livelier than the shrine. Traders lined the road in between the shop fronts, and every other door led to an izakaya or food shop whose occupants were already spilling boozily out onto the streets, despite it being only mid afternoon. There were hot springs in this town, too, and people kept pulling him aside to tell him about such-and-such a bar or this one hot spring. He was after food now, though- if anything, going down the stairs had been harder on his knees than going up, and he was looking for some local delicacies to take his mind off it. 

The road widened into a square choked with people and merchants, and suddenly the scent in air was tinged with raw magic- he followed the mild stinging to one stall that sold ‘power up-ramen’ and decided to try it. Thankfully the stall was a portable cart with a big stove and - crucially- several stools attached to the sides. He sat down with a wince, rubbing his knee. 

“Welcome!” Said the old lady behind the stand, ladling some noodles into a bowl and sliding it over to him. “That’s two den for a large portion.”

“Thanks.” He accepted the bowl and dug in his pockets for change, wondering what was in it. It was suspiciously cheap for a dish promising to increase magical power, but when he started in on it, it was actually really good- it was pretty salty, and there were only two thin slices of meat on the top of the noodles, but the mix of roots and rare bones in the broth sent magic rushing through him, making him shiver. He tested it out, making a fist and extending his magic- and his shield- gauntlet was already brighter than usual. It was probably mostly just a mild stimulant to bulk it out and improve the effect but- it tasted really good, and felt better as his stomach filled with tingling power. 

“This is so good- I’ll have another bowl, please.” He pushed his bowl back to the woman behind the stand, who purses her lips and looked at him assessingly. “Haven’t you had enough?”

“Is there a limit to how much each person can order?”

“Well, no, but...” she probably just didn’t want him waking up tomorrow wondering why the power-up had all worn off when most of the effects were down to the ginger and frost grass he was tasting. He didn’t care- it just felt so good in a way he hadn’t experienced before and he needed more. 

“Humans don’t usually need more than one portion.” She said, with a pointed sniff and a glance down at his middle.

He smiled back at her, daring her to say something. “I don’t really need any more, buuut...” he put the coins down on the counter and slid them across, and she sighed.

“If you don’t finish, you still pay for the whole portion. 

He got seconds, and then thirds, noticing that the power build-up seemed to have tailed off but the tingling warmth kept building, in a way that was kind of soothing and kind of painful as his bloated stomach pressed against the waistband of his trousers. He pressed a hand against it, trying to get more comfy as he finished up his noodles, wondering why he felt so much fuller than usual. 

He debated getting another portion, but... he stood up with a final nod at the owner, and set off towards the part of town where the hot springs were. His knees could use a nice hot soak, and, to be honest, so could his stomach. The fizzing was starting to get a little painful. 

Dusk fell, and the streets lit up with colourful paper lanterns and magical lighting. Warm yellow candlelight spilled out of the restaurants and pubs, and food stall holders yelled and pushed samples at people, eager to sell the last of their wares and go home. 

He picked an onsen at random, made a beeline for the hottest pool and ignored everyone as he laid back against the edge with a sigh, resting his head on the ground and looking up. It was one of those open- air pools that were common in this part of the country- just a natural hot spring that was lined with stone and a screen down the middle to separate men and women, with changing areas in a building to the front, and a modest garden with trees to hide people from the neighbouring buildings and the road. He much preferred the magical heated bathhouses back home- he still couldn’t get used to the slightly muddy water, and the fact that it was outside, but it was quite nice to be able to hear the sounds of the evening going on around him, and to look up and see the stars coming out. 

The water was lovely, too. Hot enough that the chilly air on his head and shoulders felt like a relief, but not dangerous to sit in for too long. He let his eyes slide closed, one hand gently massaging his stomach, and felt his breathing even out as he drifted off. 

He woke some time later feeling kind of stiff, but also kind of boneless from soaking in the hot water, and drifted off to find somewhere to stay the night but somehow instead found his way to a small lunar shrine tucked into a space between buildings. No one was around at this time of night but the lanterns were still lit as he ducked into the gate to see the small pond and it’s statue, surrounded by lights. 

It was eerily quiet- the clattering bell startled him even as he rang it- he sat down and stared again at the statue. A different statue to before, of course, but still- the same deity. 

The moon reflected in the still water, and the statue of the moon deity stared back at him, one hand on her pregnant belly, the other raised in a blessing. 

He knelt there for a while, trying to figure out what he was supposed to be doing. 

He sighed, and bowed again. 

“Goodnight,” He said to the statue, and drifted back towards town to get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand I wanna go back to Japan again :’) If you’re having trouble picturing the shrine, I’m basically imagining it kind of like yasaka shrine in Kyoto, but with indigo blue instead of red paint.


	3. Another feast, and a troubling happenstance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: there’s some violence in this chapter, and some people die.

Estelle tried to pretend she wasn’t looking forward to the next meeting with the northern Trolls for more than she ought to for being trusted with such an important duty. She tried to immerse herself in her studies, and her duties, and not get caught up in wondering how Kai was doing, or fuss over the exact outfit she was wearing (and really- they were riding to the home caves again, so it did warrant a little fussing over- instead of a dress she was wearing riding leggings again. She was pretending not to think about how it would show off her legs when she ordered some new ones to match the wine red jacket she was going to wear)

Lucy, of course, wasn’t helpful in the least, bringing Kai up at every opportunity for the entire two weeks, but that was her job as a best friend, and at least Estelle’s teasing in return had made Lucy finally DO SOMETHING about her crush on the kitchen maid- Daria, she was called- and they were going on a maybe-date next Tuesday when they both had the evening off.

Lucky. Her mother and father still kept pushing well- connected young men at her, but the harder they tried, the more she impulsively shrank away from them. It wasn’t that they weren’t nice, or were particularly bad-looking, she just... felt like they all expected things from her, like she owed them her time and affection, and some, plainly, thought that she must be madly in love with them already by virtue of her parents pointed introduction. 

Maybe that was what was so attractive about Kai- his flirting hadn’t gone beyond a few particularly warm smiles and a knowing look or two when he caught her staring. Somehow, he was just a very inviting person, and maybe the fact that they both knew nothing could happen made it feel... safe, for her. 

She sighed as she caught herself fussing with the neckline of her blouse, wondering whether to leave a button undone. There was no danger of being trapped in a loveless marriage with him. 

“Leave it undone.” Said Lucy, pinning her hair in an artful twist that was pretty, but not too elaborate that Estelle couldn’t fix it herself if it got a little dishevelled from riding. 

“Lucy!” Estelle blushed, and did the button back up.

Lucy stuck her tongue out at her in the mirror and laughed. 

“Are you girls ready?” Came a voice from outside the door. 

“Yes, Gerald. You may come in.” Estelle standing up and smoothing down her jacket. 

“There is a Mister Arrefort here- unfortunately, he does not seem to have any clothes fit for an important banquet such as this, and although we are endeavouring to fetch some, his size may prove a problem- “

“I’m sure his clothes will be fine. The outfit he wore to the last banquet was perfectly acceptable.” Estelle fixed him with a cool state, but he didn’t budge. 

“Merely ‘acceptable’ simply will not do when one is representing the duchy of Néavania-“ Gerald gestured to his own clothes, new ones, with pristine lace cuffs and deep brown velvet and furs in the latest style from the continent. 

“Not everyone is such a clotheshorse as you, Gerald.” Estelle flashed him a sickeningly sweet smile and ducked past him into the hallway. “It’s past time we should be going.” 

At the stables, their guardswoman was waiting for them, already seated on her horse. Estelle nodded at her, and then smiled warmly at Kai- who, understandably, was looking a little sheepish after Gerald had doubtless been doing his best to intimidate him. 

“Kai! You’re looking well!” He didn’t- he looked exhausted- but he didn’t protest as Estelle clasped his hand in both of hers and shook it.

“You look well, too, Estelle. That red colour looks lovely on you.” 

“Thank you!”

“Indeed, it is the finest cochineal dyed silk from the Cypriate Isles- very fine fabric.” Sniffed Gerald, inserting himself between them and pointedly tucking his hands into his sleeves when Kai offered his to shake. “I’m afraid no clothes were to be found for someone of your stature, Mister Arrefort- perhaps it would be best-“

“Gerald.” Estelle cut him off. “Kai’s clothes are perfectly nice. Please do not be rude to my guests.” 

She turned back to Kai. “As I was saying, I think that you look very well in that shade of green, but I think we should probably be getting on our way if we’re to be at the caves on time.” 

“Certainly.” Gerald glared at her, and she glared openly back, until he swept past her to his horse. 

“I do hope Gerald wasn’t being too awful to you.” Estelle said to Kai, keeping her voice down as Gerald faffed about getting seated properly in the saddle. 

Kai just made a face.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! He’s such an absolute toad. He’s my tutor and my father’s advisor and I just can’t get rid of him.” 

“Estelle! Come and ride beside me, we have to discuss the situation with the unicorn tribe.” Gerald barked.

“Be rude back, it’s the only way.” Murmured Estelle, giving Kai a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and feeling awful for bringing him back to be picked at by Gerald. Even after twenty years of it, she still couldn’t always shrug it off, and she had lost plenty of friends thanks to his pointed barbs and ever- hovering presence. 

She felt morose as she swung herself up and over her horse’s back and into the saddle, petting her neck as she dug her heels in a little to set off. 

Moonbeam seemed to pick up on her mood and craned her neck to look back at her. 

“It’s all right, Moony.” She said, looking jealously at Kai already talking and laughing with their guard up front as they rode next to each other. 

“Now, my girl, this situation hasn’t changed much since I last spoke with you about it, but since it’s so delicate, I thought that it would be best if we went over the particular relations between unicorn tribes in the area again....”

The ride dragged on. Even after Gerald finished his lecture, he wouldn’t let her ride up front with the others, and even the beautiful scenery as the plains slowly turned into foothills and then into mountains didn’t really distract her much, and she ended up staring ahead over Moony’s ears at the swishing tail of Kai’s horse ahead of them. She was a sturdy grey horse with dappled brown patches across her forehead and back, and brown mane and tail, from the same sire as Moony had been, but a different mother. Estelle had had a hand in training her up as a foal, since she always took such an interest in the castle’s horses, and the stable master had let her help him after he’d found her staring over the gate to the paddock as he worked with the young mare for about the sixth time. 

That had been, what, four years ago? She shook her head. After that summer, her father had given her more duties and her mother had increased her tutoring, and she barely had any time to hang around the stables after that. The grey and brown mare must be nearly ready to have foals of her own, now. Perhaps the pegasus mix she had gotten as a gift from one of her suitors would be suitable- the poor horse’s tiny wings were far too small for him to ever fly, but he had a wonderful temperament, and perhaps his foals would be born without wings at all, so that they didn’t feel the need to keep trying to fly. 

Perhaps not the Pegasus. 

Finally, they reached the entrance to the Home Cave network- a grand entrance was carved out of the rock, no less impressive than the last time she saw it, with massive stone pillars etched with geometric patterns and the eerie green glow of the moss coming from within.

As with last time, they left their horses together with their guard outside, and followed their troll escorts through the winding cave passages to the banqueting hall. 

No- this was a different banqueting hall than last time- the previous one was set close to the hillside, with high glass windows letting in light from outside. This one was set into a cave that opened out into a grand view of the inside of the mountain- natural rock formations and troll houses piled on top of each other, dripping in stalactites and stalagmites, stretching upwards into the distance, lit by the luminous green moss in a way that was eerie and yet beautiful. 

“My goodness- is the whole mountain hollow?” Estelle said, unable to stop herself from running out and craning up to see if she could see a ceiling. Kai followed, but Gerald merely looked on smugly.

“No- this town is not even a mile deep- this is merely a fraction of Home Mountain.” Said a booming voice - she looked back towards the table to see Agata strolling in from the other side.

She bowed hastily. “My apologies, Agata, I didn’t see you! I was so taken with this.” She gestured at the glittering mountain in front of her, before shaking Agata’s hand and greeting her properly. “How have you been these two weeks?”

“Very well, thank you.” The troll drew her in and patted her firmly on the back. “And you? Your family?” 

“All well, thank you.” 

“Excellent.” She smiled, and it looked no less kind, despite the massive yellowed tusks poking out of her mouth. “Kai- you look like dirt, my friend!” 

To her surprise, Kai burst out laughing. “Can’t hide anything from you, Agata. I’m not so bad though, really.” 

Agata shook her head. “We’ll look after you here for one evening here, at least.” He was treated to the same handshake-to thumping back pat, and then Agata advanced on Gerald, both arms wide. “Gerald! How are you, my little man?” 

“Very well, thank you,” he managed to say as he was gathered into a hug and pressed against her muscular chest. 

“Come, let us tell each other our news.” She led Gerald to the table with an arm still wrapped around his shoulders. 

Estelle and Kai looked at each other and she bit back a smirk. 

This time, she was seated across from Agata and Gerald and next to Kai. She wasn’t sure if that was better or worse because she couldn’t keep glancing at him across the table but, as he ate- she could feel his every shift next to her as he tried to get comfy under the weight of his stomach and she could hear every soft grunt of happiness he made and she thought she might go insane if this kept up for much longer. 

She tried instead to focus on the conversation- Gerald was still telling all the news from their Duchy, four courses in. Interestingly, even Agata hadn’t managed to get much more out of Kai about what he’d been up to than Estelle had- he’d been walking the circlet, had got past the grand lunar shrine and was going to the shrine of wood next, and just hadn’t been sleeping well lately. 

He didn’t seem to like talking about himself much, redirecting the conversation to the part of the circlet that went across Troll lands- Agata seemed happy to tell him about how Trollish shrines were primarily of the traditionalist sect, and as such the great Eastward shrine was dedicated to the fallen kings of the lands to the east, and who was buried there. 

By this time, Estelle was starting to lose momentum with her food- she started her sixth course of breaded fowl with a creamy sauce and some delicious crunchy little cubes of toasted salted vegetables- but had to stop when she began to feel sick.

“Thank you very much.” She said, as sincerely as she could manage, and sat back, sipping water and trying to keep it together until she felt a little better. 

Until Kai nudged her with his elbow. “Are you alright?” He murmured. 

“Thank you, yes.” She replied. “Just- too much food.” 

He nodded. “You’d gone quiet. I think Agata thought you were gonna hurl.” 

She blushed and looked up at Agata- who indeed was fixing her with a concerned look as she listened to Gerald’s prattle.

Spirits, why did he have to be nice and considerate on top of everything else, she thought, as she sat up very straight and made an effort to pull herself together. She was starting to r e a l l y like him- she couldn’t help it- he was too handsome and cute but also had a really relaxing personality and he was sweet, too- (and watching him eat until he can hardly move was so weirdly hot and she couldn’t help but imagine that the quiet little contented noises he made might be the same in another setting-) 

She cleared her throat and leaned forward to rejoin the conversation, trying not to notice as Kai started in on the next course next to her. 

She did her best not to fixate on him, really- but he kept talking to her, especially as the food kept coming and everyone started to slow down. It was hard not to notice his slightly troubled breathing, how the pleased noises were turning a little into pained ones, and how he kept sneaking his hand under the hem of his shirt to rub at his swollen belly. She really, really tried not to look at the little strip of soft brown skin that showed when he did that, or think about how his tummy still had that little bit of softness to it at the bottom even after ten courses of food crammed into it-

Finally, the servers came back, but only to remove the plates, and not switch them out for new ones. 

Kai sagged down, letting his eyes close and his head fall back. “Oh, spirits.” Was all he could say, pressing weakly against the bottom of his stomach with both hands. 

Agata just laughed warmly and shook her head. “Well, I said we’d take care of you, didn’t I?” She too was petting her swollen belly, but she merely looked pleased, whereas he looked absolutely blissed out.

Her mind helpfully supplied that he was making mostly the same face as John, her first kind-of sexual experience, had made after she’d given him a very timid handjob when they’d snuck out together when she was sixteen. And now she was thinking about reaching down and wrapping her hand around his dick- which was just there, right next to her, under his clothes- well within her reach. She couldn’t help but glance at the bulge in his trousers and wondered what it would feel like to squeeze before she could stop herself. 

Agata yawned, bringing a blushing Estelle back to the conversation. “Anyway, I need to talk with Estelle and Gerald in private for a little- Bjorn, would you show Kai and the others to the drawing cave?”

The troll on her other side nodded and stood, then went to help Kai up, which led even more groaning and whining from him, but soon enough he was up and heading out, apologising to Bjorn as he leaned heavily on him.

Agata watched him go, her eyes flicking shrewdly back to Estelle before she smiled again. “You know, my husband has giants’ blood. Very nice man. Very strong. You’ll meet him next time- when the work on the lava well he is digging is finished. I’m sure you’ll like him.” 

“I’ll look forward to it.” Said Estelle, determinedly pretending not to understand. Agata just shook her head and changed the subject to a prospective trade agreement with the minerals from the lava mine. 

—-

This was why he’d come back, Kai thought, as he flopped down onto the comfy sofa Bjorn had helped him to, and the small troll did the same. Neither of them had much small talk left, and they both were looking a bit worse for wear, and it was a relief when Bjorn pretty much ignored him and laid down onto his side, curling up around his stomach, leaving Kai free to lean back and appreciate his. Forget flirting, forget cute girls with dark eyes and secretive smiles, forget bitchy advisors, forget the doubtless agonising ride back home- right now, sitting here, stuffed till he could hardly move, that’s why he came back. He was in agony, but he also was dangerously close to getting hard again. (Yes, again. Thankfully, he’d still been able to get close enough to the table to hide it when his dick had started enjoying it too much, and he’d managed to calm down eventually- which was very difficult, when he was in the middle of eating until he couldn’t bear to eat any more, which, obviously, was a fetish of his.) 

His body was screaming for either sex or sleep, so he chose the safer option, letting his eyes drift shut and the warm weight of his feast pull him into unconsciousness.

—

They found Kai and Bjorn in the withdrawing cave, sleeping on the same couch side by side, both cradling their bloated tummies. It almost seemed a shame to wake them- hopefully Kai had had a chance to sleep off a little of the pain, and surely he’d rather be sleeping than on the long ride home, but Gerald shook his arm until he woke up all the same.

He groaned and opened his eyes, then stretched. “Sorry. How long was I asleep?” 

“Not more than an hour or so.” Said Agata, taking one of the furs from a nearby armchair and tucking it over Bjorn, who was still asleep. “You all should be on your way, though. It’s not safe to ride through the mountains at night.”

“Right.” Kai stood up, pulling his tunic down over his stomach and looking a bit more awake. “Thank you for having me, Agata.” 

The troll opened her arms and he embraced her, practically disappearing behind her thick arms and the furs she was wearing- only the top of his head visible above her bicep. Estelle’s heart sank when she released him and she realised that it was her turn to be hugged- but thankfully the enormous troll was gentle enough, barely squeezing at all and releasing her straight away. 

Gerald hastily bowed before she could get to him. “It has been a pleasure, as usual.” 

“We’ll look forward to seeing you next time.” Estelle added. 

“Very well. My attendant will see you out- have a safe journey home.”

Thankfully, Kai seemed to be doing a bit better than he had been last time, and got on his horse straight away rather than walking first- it was an overcast day and already getting quite dark, and they didn’t need to waste time. 

They trotted down the steepest parts of the mountain road without incident, talking about nothing in particular and then lapsing into companionable silence when they all ran out of things to talk about, the only sounds being the horse’s hooves and the few birds that were still active at this time of the evening. The forest grew thicker around them as they descended the mountain, the sparse stunted trees and gorse turning into tall pines, and then the dense lowland forests of oak and ash. The road wound through a dense understory of smaller shrubs and fallen trees, and great overgrown clouds of nettles and ivy spilled over onto the road. 

Up ahead, the guardswoman’s horse whinnied and stumbled over something, lurching off to one side and nearly throwing its rider. 

“Everything alright?” Estelle called.

“I don’t know.” The woman- Tia- dismounted and bent down to look at her horse’s leg. “I can’t see anything wrong. Must have been a stone or something.” 

Kai slipped off his horse too and they both checked the horse’s hooves as Estelle and Gerald brought their own horses to a still beside them. 

“There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her.” The woman said, after feeling all around the horse’s legs with no more sign of discomfort. “Guess we can go on.” 

“Indeed.” Said Gerald, looking around. “This is not an ideal place to stop.” 

Estelle’s horse startled, tossing her head and trying to bolt away from the pack. “Hey- Moony!” Estelle yanked at the reigns and tried to calm her horse, but then- something whizzed past her and thudded into a nearby tree.

“GET DOWN!” Tia yelled, firing a blast of magic in the direction of the arrows. 

Estelle screamed and flattened herself against Moony, who took off- only to rear up when a woman leapt out of the bushes and a web of magical energy appeared, criss-crossing the path and tangling around the horse. Moony fell, and thankfully Estelle was thrown off rather than landing under her, scrambling to her feet and letting loose an attack that was more desperation than technique from all her lessons. It worked- at least enough to put the woman off balance, but the cloud of unfocused energy had drained a lot of Estelle’s stamina already, and she could feel herself panicking. 

Someone ran up behind her and she cringed away but it was Kai- who dove at the woman with shining golden power spilling from his fists, landing a hit on her that sent her flying. “You aright?” 

She nodded- and then shrieked as another bandit appeared behind him- she attacked without thinking again, sending out another cloud of magic- thankfully, Kai’s weapons extended down his forearms so he was able to use one as a shield- but the man behind him also didn’t seem to have been hit badly and merely stumbled back before standing up and sneering. 

“That all you got, girly?” He said, and the crackling energy around his sword grew stronger with anticipation.

Kai shifted into a different stance, the energy around his fists shifting and re-shaping until he had a sword and shield, too- or more like a shield and a spear- one of the gauntlets was round and wide, sitting on his forearm like a normal shield, and the other extended out from his fist in a blade with a flattened edge. 

He didn’t wait for the bandit to attack, lunging at him with another punch which the man blocked, then forming another spear with the shield arm and striking again, pushing him back, then pulling back at the last second to kick through the man’s outstretched leg, grabbing him as he fell and punching him in the head with a flattened glove. He went down and Kai threw him at the next attacker- another woman, who had appeared out of the undergrowth with a pair of knives. 

And then a dart of icy power thudded into the woman, and she fell back with a scream. 

Estelle and Kai turned around to see Gerald aiming his magical bow higher, before letting loose another arrow, with steel in his eyes. “Get beside me, Estelle. Remember your training.” He barked. 

She nodded, and tried to form her own bow as she hurried to his side, but her hands were shaking too much and it kept fizzling out of existence.

There weren’t many bandits left by now, and she watched, feeling dizzy, as Gerald, Kai, and Tia dealt with them, the archer shooting the last one in the back as she fled. 

“Is anyone hurt?” Gerald’s bow vanished and he reached into his saddlebags for medical supplies- Tia was limping, Estelle noticed, and the minute he was sure they were safe Kai sank to his knees and curled up into a ball. 

“I’m ok.” Estelle managed, her ears ringing. 

“Bastard got me in the leg.” Tia said, pulling up her trouser leg to reveal a burn from a magical whip. 

Gerald jumped down from his horse and began to prepare a remedy. “Mister Arrefort?”

“I’m alright- just- need to sit down.” Kai gasped, his face screwed up with pain. “I’m not hurt- just- ate so much and now I had to move a lot.” 

Moony got gingerly to her feet and cane over to snuffle at her hair, and Estelle realised that she’d started to cry. She checked her horse over, feeling numb. Thankfully, Moony hadn’t broken anything, but she’d done something to her hind leg when she’d fallen on it, and it wouldn’t be good to ride her in this condition. 

“Estelle.” Gerald put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright? That must have been a shock.” 

She nodded, trying not to think about the bodies of their attackers that were lying in front of them on the road. “It is a shock. Moony’s hurt her leg.”

“Oh dear.” He raised his voice and looked over to Tia and Kai. “Ennsbruck is not too far away from here- we’ll walk there, then leave Miss Estelle’s horse at a suitable inn and carry on to the castle.” 

The others nodded, Tia tying up her bandages and going to hitch Moony’s reigns to her own horse. “You’ll ride with me, Miss Estelle.” 

“Okay.” She said glumly. She didn’t like riding with anyone in the best of circumstances, and she would have liked a little privacy so she could cry and pretend it was too dark for anyone to see her. 

If she heard her muffled sobs or felt the damp patch she made on the back of the guard’s uniform, Tia was kind enough to pretend she didn’t notice. 

They rode home mostly in silence. At Ennsbruck, they swapped horses at the coaching inn with strict care instructions for Moony, and then went home at almost a gallop, all grateful to see the warm lights of Castle Town on the hilltop. 

Estelle invited Kai to stay the night, and he accepted gratefully. Even he’d be grateful, and even Gerald didn’t have the heart to protest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn’t planned for this one to get so dark, phew ><; but a lot of the time, people dying gets kind of... skimmed over in fantasy, but it would still affect people- especially sheltered people like Estelle. 
> 
> Next time we will be back to our regularly scheduled content of: Kai eats too much again and gets a belly rub this time :3


	4. Breakfasts, dinners, and old friends

Estelle had made Lucy sleep in the bed with her, starting awake at every noise, so it was a very grumpy lady-in-waiting who informed her that her parents would be breakfasting with her the next morning. 

Going through the motions of getting washed and dressed just like usual, the events of the evening before were already starting to feel like some kind of horrible dream. The nagging feeling of dread and guilt and the sickening sight of the dead woman’s sightless eyes that she saw when she shut her own seemed like intrusions from a parallel world- not from her own safe, comfortable life. 

She didn’t think she was going to be able to eat much at breakfast. 

She certainly didn’t expect to see Kai there, sitting across from her parents and next to a thunderous-looking Gerald, picking at his food. He looked even worse than she did, but he managed a weak smile. “Good morning.” 

Estelle was barely able to get out her own “morning,” before her mother leapt up from the table and enveloped her into a hug. “ESTELLE! You poor dove, you must have been so frightened- I never want to let you out of my sight again- when Gerald told me what happened this morning- I’d never forgive myself!” 

“I’m okay, Mum.” Estelle hugged her mum back and tried to convince herself of that, too. Her mother refused to let her go for a solid five minutes as she fussed over her, and while her father rolled his eyes, he did admit that he had been shocked to find out that they had been attacked. 

“Although, there was no reason to be concerned since Gerald was with you as well as the regular guard.” Her father pointed out, squeezing her shoulder as she sat down next to him.

“Quite so.” Said Gerald. “Between us, you were perfectly safe.” He pursed his lips. “Although, Mr Arrefort was also a help to us.”

Kai ducked his head. 

“Indeed- Gerald tells me that you are quite skilled in royal style battle magic- were you trained at the King’s Castle?”

“Yes- I was a soldier in Kingsdown.” 

“Oh, how fascinating? May I see?” Said her mother, who, as a magician herself, was always intrigued by regional magics. 

“Of course.” Kai said, but seemed embarrassed as he formed a fist and golden energy coalesced around it. 

“It has such a defined shape.” Her mother muttered, reaching out to run her finger along the edge and finding resistance there. 

“We drilled with wooden gauntlets like these until the shape stuck. And my parents started training me very young.”

Her mother frowned. “I thought training for the King’s Army began at fourteen at the earliest.”

He shrugged. “My parents were both knights.” 

He didn’t seem to want to elaborate on that, and the conversation stalled somewhat. 

“What brings you out to this part of the world then- it sounds like you’re skilled enough to make a success of it in the army.” Her father narrowed his eyes. Estelle could tell what he was thinking- she was wondering the same thing- why had he left the army? Was he discharged after the war with the Eastern Kingdoms?Was he a deserter? 

His eyes slid off to the side. “I was - injured. Badly.” He said quietly. “It’s not something I like to talk about. I’m sure you understand.”

Everyone looked embarrassed, and Estelle hastily switched the conversation to enquiring about her horse and was relieved to hear that Moony was brought back first thing and is recovering in her stable. 

Kai also seemed relieved to know that her horse was alright- he admitted to having a soft spot for horses when she asked, and she took that as permission to tell him all about her plans to acquire a rainbow-mane horse from the duchess of Fieflow, who had gotten a breeding set from some wizard she had offered sanctuary to, and she could hardly contain her jealousy when Kai told her about the stableful of rainbow-manes the King had at the Palace. 

Her parents shook their heads and moved on to talking about something else, but Gerald kept butting into their conversation and fixing Kai with a hostile look all the way until he left after breakfast, and after everything that had happened Estelle didn’t quite have the heart to invite him back for the next meeting. 

She watched him go sadly. 

“Now young lady,” Said Gerald, turning his stare on her. “I believe that we have some duelling forms to go over.” 

Her heart sank as he led her towards the training hall. 

They drilled all morning, and after lunch they went straight back to it- despite the fact that by now her magic was completely drained and she was already shaking with exhaustion again after five minutes. 

“You need to improve your stamina, Miss Estelle.” Gerald snapped, totally unsympathetic as she tried to materialise another arrow for her bow and barely managed a few faint sparks. 

“Our magic is weaker when our bodies are weaker. We must train our bodies in order to train our magic. I think some push-ups are in order.”

Estelle groaned. 

Lucy found her that evening sitting in Moony’s stall, trying not to cry as her horse passively ate the handfuls of oats she offered and let her pat her nose. 

“You alright?” She said, leaning over the half-door and looking down at her. 

“Not really.” 

Since Estelle was leaning on it, Lucy climbed over the door and slid down to sit in the straw next to her. 

“Is it the training, or yesterday, or both?” 

“Both.” She sniffed.

Lucy nudged her shoulder companionably. “I’ve got some news to cheer you up.”

“Mm?”

“I bumped in to a certain handsome ex-soldier in town. Apparently you forgot to invite him to the next troll meeting.” 

“Mm.”

Lucy looked at her nails. “I may have taken the liberty of inviting him for you.” 

“Lucy! I didn’t invite him for a reason, you know! Gerald was being such an ass- I didn’t want to subject him to any more of his shit.” 

“Oh- is that why?” Lucy grimaced. “Well, he seemed happy to be invited back, so, apparently you’re worth putting up with him for.”

“Thanks.” 

Lucy elbowed her. “I mean, of course you’re worth putting up with him! Now we’ve just got to figure out some way to leave Gerald behind next time so you two can get some quality time together.” 

“Will you stop meddling in my life for five minutes?”

“Nah, it’s my job. I’ll stop meddling when you fire me, or you manage to bag him by yourself.” 

“Lucy!”

—-

It was another two days before Kai could bring himself to leave Castle Town. He tried to pretend to himself that he was just staying while he picked up a few extra days’ work at the warehouses for a little money, but... as soon as he left the town wall and set off across the open countryside, he couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t on edge.

As the farmland slowly gave way to deeper woods, he couldn’t deny that he was still feeling shaken up by what had happened back then. 

The fight- the kill-or-be-killed desperation- the screams of the dying bandits- he’d thought he’d left that behind him. He’d thought... it was finally over. 

The path branched, and one path led to a green-painted shrine gate. He went through the wooden archway on impulse and found himself in front of a run-down forest shrine. The paper garlands tied around the largest tree were damp and green with age, and the altar was just a small box with a single stone statue affixed to the front of the tree. He could barely make out the face carved into the stone through the lichen, but he imagined it to be smiling. 

He clapped loudly three times, knelt down on the mossy floor, and started to pray for the spirits of the dead bandits.

Time seemed to slow down, the only noise being the rustle of leaves and the breaking of the tree branches in the wind. 

A different noise started him out of his reverie and he sat bolt upright, scanning the woods in the direction he thought it had come from. 

He couldn’t see anyone- but his intuition was screaming at him and although it was unlikely a person would attack him on sacred ground- an animal would have no such scruples. 

He got to his feet and bowed to the statue, half-wishing that he was returning this way so that he could replace the statue’s mouldy old apron with a new one. He left a coin instead- although it was unlikely there was a caretaker here, and it would probably either rust away or be taken by some traveller or other. 

He still couldn’t shake the unease as he returned to the main path, walking much more quickly now, fists clenched at his sides and always on the edge of drawing out his magic. 

And then a brown wolf appeared from the undergrowth, walking along bold as anything- he reflexively brought out his shield-gauntlets and braced himself. He needed to scare the animal away as quickly as possible- or he’d get into a fight he might not win. 

“Geez, it’s me!” The wolf glared at him and spoke with a familiar voice. “What’s gotten into you, you smell terrible! And so jumpy.” She trotted towards him and he sighed and dropped his weapons. 

“You scared the crap out of me.” He said, shaking his head at the werewolf, who bared her teeth in an approximation of a grin. 

“You’d think you’d be used to me by now.” Scarlet butted up against his legs and he scratched behind her ears and between her shoulders. She leant into it contentedly, so hard that she nearly pushed him over, wagging her tail.

Honestly, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to being friends with a werewolf. They’d met when he was posted out in the mountains a few years ago, and he’d been called to fend off some wolves attacking a remote village- only to find one of the wolves turning into a young woman with pale skin and bright red hair, yelling at him to “leave it out, she was only trying to get by.”

She seemed to prefer spending time as a wolf, and came and went as she pleased, wandering all across the land. They’d bumped into each other a few more times over the years since then. 

“I came across your trail and thought I’d see how you were doing. Where are you headed?” She raised her head to sniff at his crotch and he pushed her away with a grimace.

“Can you not?” 

“Just seeing how you are.” She slunk around him to try to sniff his butt and he glared at her.

“Seriously! I’d tell you how I was if you weren’t all up in my business.” 

“S’quicker, but alright.” She yawned. “Where are you going? You can tell my on the way.” 

“Let’s hear your news first.” He said, hitching his bag back onto his shoulder and starting to walk.

“Not really much to tell. Got in a few fights here and there. Met some folks, stole a lot of livestock. I wanna hear about whatever the fuck has happened to you. Like I said before, you smell terrible.” 

“I... well, a lot’s happened.” 

He tried to tell her an abridged version of what he’d done since she last saw him- it had been over a year, and a lot had changed. He tried not to dwell on what had happened the other day, but he could tell that she knew it was bothering him as soon as he mentioned it.

“Oof.” Was the only thing she said after he finished telling her, and then they walked along in silence for a while. 

She broke the silence. “You know what makes me feel better? A whole lot of food.”

He cracked a smile at that, and let her talk him into stopping to set some traps and make camp for the night. 

When the deer screamed as it crashed into one of the wire traps they’d set up, it didn’t seem like such a good idea. He flinched and squeezed his eyes shut. 

Scarlet looked up from where he’d been petting her, and rolled her eyes. “Do you need me to kill it for you?” 

He nodded, and she sighed, turning into her human form and stalking off. 

He curled up into a ball and tried not to listen to the animal’s cries, and then the sounds of her skinning it and preparing the meat, staring determinedly into the flames of the campfire and fighting away the panic attack he could feel just waiting to happen. 

He didn’t notice that Scarlet had put the whole carcass to roast over the fire until it had been cooking for several minutes already, and the wolf was settling back down to doze while it cooked, already back in her preferred form.

“Why did you cook the whole thing? It’ll sell for more unprepared.” 

She stretched and rolled over onto her side, warming her tummy in the fire’s heat. “But then I’d have had to do it properly, like take all the guts out and take it off the bone- whereas if we just eat it all, I don’t have to bother.”

Kai shook his head. “There’s no way we can we manage that between the two of us.”

“Don’t underestimate a werewolf’s appetite.” She said with a grin.

He just shook his head again and went back to watching the flames.

Since Scarlet hadn’t bothered to cut up the meat, it took two hours to cook all the way through- and by the time it was done, Kai was so hungry he felt like he might even manage the whole thing by himself.

“I think it’s about done.” He nudged the wolf with his foot, waking her from her snoozing. 

“Oh, finally.” She sprang upright and switched forms at the same time, and Kai flinched back from the sudden appearance of a girl who was practically on top of him, before going to help her take the venison off the fire and cut it up for eating. 

She switched back into wolf form as soon as he’d cut off as much as he’d wanted, diving in and tearing off chunks of juicy meat. 

“You’re really wolfing that down, huh?” Kai smirked, getting some bread and an apple out of his bag to go with his dinner.

Scarlet didn’t seem to notice, wagging her tail and slurping at the bloodier bits of meat. 

“Wolfing.” He repeated. 

“I heard you, and it’s not funny.” She barely looked up. 

“Tch.” He settled down to enjoy his own food, shutting his eyes and savouring the first bite. It was a bit overly crispy on the outside, but the smoky flavour and tenderness of the meat were absolutely divine, and the bread was pretty good too- fresh from this morning, crusty and fluffy on the inside and soaking up all the juice from the slices of meat on top...

He kept eating, switching to the apple after four rounds of bread and meat and intending to stop after that, but when he threw the apple core away into the bushes, Scarlet was still eating and there was plenty left... 

He tried to take his time with the next helping- he’d run out of bread and was just eating slices of meat now, and if he ate too much of just the meat he’d surely get one hell of a stomachache tomorrow, but, in the moment- it tasted so good, and he was starting to get full but not full enough, so he kept going, loosening the laces of his trousers when they started to get tight and leaning back a little to give his stomach room.

Scarlet’s werewolf anatomy was coming in handy- she was still gobbling away at full speed, her belly rounded out under her but obviously not hurting her as much as his stomach was hurting him. 

He envied her as he kept eating, massaging the knots of pressure with one hand as he ate with the other, his plate of food balanced in his lap. 

He ate until he had to stop, unable to eat any more, lying back on his hands and groaning at how full he was. 

“Why did you make me so this?” He complained, but he couldn’t stop grinning- it felt so good, even though he could hardly breathe it felt so damn good- 

A very round werewolf looked up from the bone she was chewing on. 

“I didn’t make you do anything.” She pointed out. 

He just groaned and sank back onto his elbows, squeezing his eyes shut and trying not to think about it. Which was difficult, when every breath was pressing in against his overstuffed gut and sent new flare ups of pain through him. 

She huffed and went back to her bone.

“It huuurts.” 

She sighed. “Would you like me to help?” 

“Please.”

She made a complaining noise, but a gentle hand rested on the sorest part of his stomach and began to massage soft circles into it. 

“Thank you.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” She said. 

He grit his teeth and tried not to moan outright as she shifted and dug both hands in to the sides of his belly, getting a little more firm with him as she tried to settle his stomach from the outside. 

“You’re getting fat.” She said, pinching the handful of pudge at the bottom of his taught belly. 

“Mm.” He grunted non-committedly, and opened his eyes sleepily. “No rations anymore, so.” 

“Hm.” She groped at his sides, finding softness there too, before returning to kneading at his stomach.

She looked disappointingly unaffected by her own massive dinner, her baggy tunic barely showing any sign of her human stomach bloating up at all. 

He couldn’t help but sigh when she ran gentle fingertips right up to the top of his stomach and pushed in just under his ribs, and then ran her hands around the sides of his belly so she was just kind of... holding it. 

It felt so good. 

He often pet her when he forgot she wasn’t an ordinary dog- it was so rare to see her in human form- but not like this- she was running her hands over him soothingly, gently, and in the firelight he couldn’t read her expression as she stared down at her hands. 

She pushed up the hem of his shirt and he half- stifled a moan as she put her hands back on his bare skin....

He leaned forward again and cupped the side of her face, drawn in to her dark eyes glinting in the firelight. 

She hesitated, and he moved a little closer.

“No.” She said, gently but firmly, pushing him back with one hand even as the other didn’t leave his stomach. 

“Oh. Sorry.” He sat back and looked down at her still kneading at him. 

“Then what... I thought...”

“It’s not like that.” She said, digging harder into a knot of tension, and he winced and tried not to feel crushed. 

Somehow, he must have fallen asleep, because he woke up the next morning covered in leaves and morning dew and with a massive brown wolf using his stomach as a pillow. He blinked, trying to judge the time, and shifted the wolf’s head off his stomach onto his chest. 

He shut his eyes for another moment or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About Kai’s religion- I think religion would work a bit differently in this world- like in this magical world, there’s no doubt that the spirits exist, but whether they care... that’s what’s unknown.
> 
> Also- we’re starting to see new characters! Because the leads do have lives outside of each other. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	5. Royal Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai regrets all his life choices, and Estelle meets a horse-faced Prince...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see! Depression hit me like a bus but I got back to writing again recently so I hope you’ll continue to enjoy!

Kai woke up again regretting all his decisions from the night before- his knees ached from the cold night air, his back ached from sleeping on the hard ground, and he still felt sick. He’d digested enough that he could do his trousers up again- just- but his stomach hurt like hell as his body tried to deal with so much meat all in one go. 

Scarlet kicked him again and whined, and he realised why he’d woken up- she was still asleep and dreaming, and was having one of those dog dreams where her legs were twitching and she kept huffing out tiny muffled barks through her nose. 

He groaned and heaved himself up to sitting, breathing heavily and trying to fight off the nausea. He wished he had some hot yuzu tea.

“You’re a bad influence,” he told the sleeping wolf, and went to go find some clean water to refill his canteen. 

—-

He came back and she’d still not woken up, and was lying on her back with her impossibly round belly in the air. He pet it as he sat down next to her, then set his kettle down in the fire pit, piled some more tinder around it and set to lighting it.

Scarlet stirred and finally seemed to be waking up, stretching and waving her paws in the air. “Where you going today?” She asked sleepily. 

He sighed and considered. “I was hoping to make it to the shrine of wood by this evening, but...” 

She snorted. “Wodenberg’s too far away by foot.”

“Yeah. I might stop at Ensberg or Fellford and do the rest tomorrow.”

“I’ll go with.” 

“Is it on your way?”

“No, but I’m not in a hurry.” 

They made slow going that day. Kai was glad that he had the excuse of Scarlet being tired from carrying around so much food because he felt like an old man complaining about his knees all the time- but it was still frustrating how slow their journey was, and they didn’t come across the town he’d planned to pass through at midday until early evening. 

“I’m gonna find somewhere to sleep for the night- I can’t take camping out two nights in a row.” He announced as they plodded down through the cabbage fields and rice paddies around the edge of the small town. 

Scarlet huffed, and a threadbare red collar materialised around her neck. “I’ll be your dog then.”

Kai gave her a skeptical look. “You’re very obviously not a dog.”

“Stick a collar on me and surprisingly few people notice. Its easier to be a pet than a werewolf.”

“You could be a human, you know?”

“Yeah, but that’s what I have friends for.” 

He shook his head, but didn’t protest, and it was admittedly cheaper only having to pay for one bed at the inn that night. It was less agreeable when she curled up at the foot of the bed, but then immediately spread out, shifting about and rolling over until she was practically pushing him out of the bed- he eventually just shoved her back and rolled her back to her half of the bed, and she seemed to be asleep enough that she stayed put this time. 

He rolled over to face away from her and hugged himself, trying to sleep. 

Having someone else lying in the bed with him, feeling their warmth and hearing their breathing... he’d never really had enough of a relationship in the past to get used to it, but he missed it. He wished that there was someone there now who would want to cuddle in behind him and sneak an arm around his chest. 

He tried to rationalise the thoughts away- Scarlet was a good friend, but she was annoying, and besides, love didn’t work quite the same way in wolf society as it did for most peoples. He couldn’t really imagine having a proper relationship with her. And she smelled a bit like a wet dog even in human form. 

He still couldn’t sleep. 

——

Estelle continued making headway with her training- everything seemed a whole lot more urgent now, after everything. Still, her stamina was creeping up little by little and Gerald was drilling her constantly to try to stop the panic reflex like last time- although in future, she would have a much heavier guard with her at all times. In the past, she’d resented the lack of freedom, but now she was grateful for it even on routine visits into town, even as she tried to counsel herself out of her new timidness. 

And then her training had to be put on hold, much like most everything else at the castle, for the King’s visit- he was stopping over on his way to a meeting with the merpeople in the Deep Kelp Kingdom (with the aid of magic water-breathing spells, of course,) but even two nights’ visit from the King was enough to send the whole Duchy into a panic. Everything had to be just so- new pheonixdown pillows and embroidered sheets in the royal bedchamber, extra guards everywhere, mountains of fresh-cut flowers piled upon every surface, and a grand feast was ordered that could feed everyone in the castle for a week. 

Estelle herself didn’t get to meet the King for very long- she was put into her best clothes and trotted out in front of him to curtsy and make small talk when he arrived, but then he and her parents whisked away into the counsel room and she was not to disturb them under any circumstances. 

She didn’t mind. The King was rather intimidating- a tall, greenish- skinned man of elvish heritage, with golden hair in tight coiled ringlets spilling onto his shoulders that distracted her as they bounced with his every movement. He was dazzlingly beautiful, and seemed more like a doll than a person, cocooned in so much fine silk and soft fur and embroidery that he seemed quite large, despite being a rather frail man on all accounts.

She was glad to leave his scrutiny, and made a beeline instead for the stables, where his royal horses were being groomed and fed- and, to her delight, he had brought the rainbow- manes! Or at least, four of them- beautiful tall horses with sandy golden coats and soft, floating manes that shimmered all colours of the rainbow. 

The stablemaster grinned, clearly having been expecting her. 

She handed her the curry-comb and brush without her asking. “Fine creatures, aren’t they?”

“Beautiful.” She held out a hand and was snuffled at before the horse graciously allowed her to pet its velvety nose, and then she moved to pick up where the stablemaster had left off, running smooth strokes over the horse’s flank with her brush. 

“And look at all the finery they came in!” The stablemaster- Onna, nodded over at the tack shed, where a couple of young stablehands were wrestling with a braided golden harness that had tangled itself with the straps of a dragonscale saddle. 

“That’s royalty for you.” Estelle shook her head, then frowned and looked again at the boys. One of them she recognised- Jaune, the dark-haired scruff who also helped with her father’s hunting dogs- but the other, older boy was unfamiliar. He was tall, and had white-blond hair in a ponytail, and white clothes, too- unwise for someone working with animals.

“You’ll have met Master Edwin already, I suppose?” Onna said, following Estelle’s gaze.

“That’s the Prince?!” Estelle dropped her voice to a whisper and spun around, ashamed not to have recognised the young man she had been introduced to not an hour earlier. He’d taken off his purple doublet, and pulled his hair out of the elaborate Elvish style he’d had it in earlier, but- still! And here she was in her muddy boots and slightly threadbare stable clothes- she debated trying to hide, but she heard a greeting from across the yard and turned back to face the prince as he ambled over. 

“Hallo again!” He smiled and held out a hand, and she slid the brush off and wiped her hand on her trousers before accepting the shake. “Didn’t expect to see you out here.” 

“I came to see the rainbow- manes.” She admitted.

“Oh, a horse fan too?” He grinned wider. “Can’t blame you, they’re delightful.” He turned to pet the horse who had sidled up to him and nudged him, evidently an old friend. “This is niji. We’ve had her since she was a foal.” 

Thankfully, despite being a prince, he seemed normal, and he was very easy to talk to- he evidently took great pride in his father’s stables, and as the second son, it seemed he had enough free time to have a hand in its running- he even took the curry comb from Estelle and worked on Niji’s other flank while they talked. 

As always, Estelle was weak to a man who liked animals, and she tried to stop the little secret grin from creeping back on to her face whenever she looked at him and her heart skipped a beat. It really didn’t help that he was every bit as handsome getting covered in straw and horsehair as he had been in his finery earlier- he’d inherited the fine features and startling green eyes of his father, but he was built a little more solidly, and his hair and face didn’t have such a greenish tinge. They talked until it was time to go and get dressed for dinner, and more as they wandered back through the castle- but then, as they passed by the still-closed doors of the study, she paused. 

“Do you know what the King’s plans are for dealing with the corn blight up north? We’ve been securing some extra food reserves from the sprites just in case- but the Duchy to the West of us isn’t preparing at all, and I’m worried.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think he’s got any yet.”

“Could you talk to him about it?”

His face fell. “Ah. Want to use me to get to my father, eh? Got your work cut out for you there- he doesn’t listen to a word I say.”

She winced, understanding his feelings all too well. “Sorry, but- could you try, please? It’s important.”

“There are other crops to grow. People could just switch.” 

“Up by the West Downs though- everyone grows corn- can you imagine if their whole crop died all at once?”

He sighed. “Fine. I’ll try to talk to him. Don’t expect anything from it, though. I daresay it would only do a little more than if you were to talk to him.” 

She huffed and tried to think of a retort, but he just raised an eyebrow at her and she shut her mouth. As the second child of a small Duchy, she had absolutely no standing to talk with the King, and it was cruel of him to remind her of that. 

She left him at the door to his chambers without another word.

“I’ll see you at dinner.” 

—-

Thankfully, he seemed to have forgotten his bad mood by dinner. They were seated next to each other at one end of the table- Estelle got the distinct feeling that they were being held at arms length from the ‘grown-ups’ at the other end, and the way Edwin rolled his eyes when he saw the seating arrangements confirmed it.

It was quite a relief, though- the King and her parents seemed to have finished talking politics and were talking about the upcoming hunting season now instead, and having to follow along and feign enough interest in such a conversation was always tiring. She kept up a somewhat stilted conversation with the Prince- Gerald was on her other side and was listening in and interjecting with his opinion with far too much glee every time he had the opportunity to correct her. Edwin seemed to also have experience with this kind of person, though, and spared him barely a passing remark, seeming to enjoy watching him stew in the knowledge that the Prince was ignoring him. 

Dinner was served- a huge feast a la fenneçeze- the banquet was laid out all at once for the guests to pick from as they wanted, a mixture of human delicacies from far and wide and an assortment of flowers and nectar for the King- even though it was well known that he did not have enough elvish blood in him to subsist entirely on nectar and flowers, he like to make a show of eating them in public to remind people that he was more than simply human, trying to elevate himself to a higher level by willpower alone. 

She snuck a look over at Edwin, who had declined to eat anything but human food- it was said that the King had searched desperately for an Elvish bride, and that he had parted with a great deal of money to secure such a marriage for his first son. Edwin himself had been promised to the Fae of the northern falls last year as part of a peace treaty, and there was much gossip as to what the King had conceded to them in exchange. 

She returned her focus to the food, enjoying the chance to have some of her favourite dishes again. It had been a while since they’d banqueted at the castle, and the cooks had truly outdone themselves for the King. 

“Would you pass me those little pastry things?” She pointed, and Edwin passed it to her with a laugh. “Miss Estelle, I think you’ve been hanging around the horses for far too long- you’re starting to eat like one!” 

She blushed furiously- true, the only formal dinners she’d attended lately had been trollish ones and maybe she’d got a little carried away- but how dare he comment on a lady’s appetite! 

She took a pastry anyway and tried to stop liking him, but he smiled prettily at her and she couldn’t bring herself to. She got the feeling that being rude was something of an outlet for him, and she understood the impulse. “Why, Master Edwin, I believe that you also may have been hanging around the horses for too long, you’re starting to look like one.”

He burst out in a raucous laugh that earned him a glare from his father across the table. “I think I like you, Estelle de Néavanie.”

“We’ll see how long that lasts.” She grinned at him. 

—

“Sooooo. Prince Edwin, then.” Lucy remarked, faux-casually, as she helped Estelle out of her dress. 

“Don’t go there, Lucy.” Estelle breathed a sigh of relief when she loosened her stays- she really had overdone it, and she was only just now remembering what it felt like to breathe properly again. Thank goodness she didn’t have to wear stays when she went to the Troll Kingdom. 

“I’m just saying. You two seemed to be getting along rather well. Shame he’s such a spindly little beanpole.” 

She shrugged. “Elvish people often are. He’s nice and it’s beneficial to be make nice with a Prince.” 

“Yeah, but you were into it- I didn’t   
think he was your type! What about poor Kai?”

Estelle tried to look haughty as she shrugged on her nightgown. “‘Poor Kai’ is a man I’ve met only a handful of times, and is so improper for me to even talk to that it’s a miracle we even met. I doubt he’s been labouring under any of your delusions. Besides. The prince already has a suitor.”

“Damn shame, that.”

“Indeed. A match to a Prince would have improved our Duchy’s standing considerably.” She said, although she knew that Lucy hadn’t been talking about the Prince.

“I-“

“That will be all, thank you, Lucy. Goodnight.” 

“Na-night~” 

She shook her head and burrowed under the covers, flicking a gust of magic at the candle she’d left on her dresser and sinking gratefully into both the dark and her pillows. 

Why had she eaten so much? She still felt a little embarrassed at the Prince’s comments earlier- although thankfully, she hadn’t eaten that much compared to when she was in Troll company- only enough that she felt very full and sleepy not sick or in pain. She wriggled about on top of her full stomach, trying to get comfy but not wanting to roll over. It felt- nice. Perhaps this was what Kai felt like, she thought as she started to doze off. Warm and big and comfortable. She could see the appeal...


	6. Old friends and cauliflower princes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai is back in castle town and meets some old friends, and Estelle faces some awkward truths and unwanted vegetables.

Kai peered through the rain at the distant outline of the castle in the distance. Castle town was starting to feel like a home now, Kai thought as he neared the end of his third trip back there since the beginning of his journey. The postal road wound its way down amongst the rugged hills to the north, and the only souls he’d seen today were the small, tough-looking sheep of the region picking at the sparse heather on the rocky hillsides. He was glad he’d left Scarlet behind a few towns back- he didn’t want to be involved in any more sheep-stealing and the soggy grey ewes standing at the roadside might have been too tempting a target for her. 

The yellow lights in the windows of the town promised warmth and shelter, and he hurried along, pulling his jacket tighter around him, almost breaking into a jog as he reached the outskirts of the town. 

He went to the same tavern he’d stayed at the past two times out of habit, and the innkeepers almost looked as though they recognised him as he stomped mud off his boots by the door. He paid upfront for a bed and a meal and something hot to drink, and then flopped down by the fire and wrung out his jacket. Everyone had been saying that the rain would start soon- his last few jobs had been helping farmers scrambling for extra help to get the last of the hay in whilst it was dry- and it looked like the weather had finally broken. The sky had been a pale grey all yesterday interspersed with drizzle, and today it had been coming down by the bucketload. Summer was well and truly over. 

He peeled his boots off and angled them towards the fire- it would be terribly rude to take his socks off but he wished he could- they were dripping wet, like most of his trousers. He pushed his hair out of his face and slid down further into the comfortable chair, sticking his feet closer into the fire until he could feel his skin prickle uncomfortably. 

“You still on your circle walk?” The innkeeper asked as he put a tray down on the chair next to Kai and passed him a mug.

He drank gratefully- ginger and honey tea that instantly warmed him up a little- and smiled at the innkeeper. “It’s been taking a bit longer than expected.” 

“I’ll say- a bit late in the year for it, in’t it? The weather’s already turning.” 

“Mm.” He was saved from explaining more by a crowd of young men and women all spilling in out of the rain, variously shaking out capes and taking off hats and hollering for a drink, and the innkeeper rushed to the bar to make the most of it. A few voices sounded familiar, but Kai had food now- a thick beef and potato stew with a generous doorstop of buttered bread next to it. Between it and the tea and the fire, he was feeling almost back to normal and was trying to decide whether to keep dozing by the fire or just head up to bed already when someone plonked themselves down next to him and grabbed his arm suddenly.

“Kai! What are you doing here?”

“Cris? What are YOU doing here?”

“Protecting the King of course- Hey! Everyone- look who it is?” Crispin hollered across to his fellow soldiers, and soon Kai was surrounded by a gaggle of tipsy people all exclaiming over him and asking where he’d been. Crispin shoved him over and squished himself into the same chair as Kai, pulling him into a bear hug. 

“We came out here to escape Sir- we didn’t expect to find your sorry arse all the way out here in the sticks!”

“I’m doing the circlet.” 

Someone whistled and more people laughed. 

“A changed man I see?” Crispin took a swig of his drink and Kai shoved him, making him snort and choke a little. 

“Leave it out.” He elbowed him again for good measure and Crispin kicked him in the shin. 

“Where’s May and Robin?” He said, looking for his other friends in the crowd- it seemed to be mostly the more adventurous of the younger soldiers here. 

“May didn’t come with and Robin- he got discharged. Couldn’t handle it anymore.” Cris’ face fell as he talked about him, and Kai swiftly changed the subject. “Roman? Tilly?”

“Back at’ Castle. King only took two dozen of us.” 

“Makes sense.” 

“Anyway, what h a v e you done to yourself-“ Cris elbowed him solidly in the stomach and he yelped- “been having fun since you left- it’s been what- three months? Have you done nothing but eat?” 

A few people laughed and Kai feigned nonchalance, leaning back and patting his stomach. “You’re all just jealous because you still have to pass physicals and eat rations.”

“You’re getting soft is what’s happening- “ Kai smacked his hand out of the way where he was going in for a tickle and leant heavily on him, pinning him to the chair. 

“Remind me why we’re friends again?” 

Cris lurched out from under him and the chair squealed as he pushed Kai to the floor and sat on him, to cheers from the other soldiers. Before he could grab a limb and lock him up Kai rolled them back over with the help of a strategic burst of magic and got the upper hand again, and then they both looked up guiltily as the innkeeper barked at them from across the bar-“BOYS! I won’t have any of that in here. You can take it out in the rain if you like.” 

“Sorry.” Kai held up his hands and got up, pulling Crispin to his feet. “We got a little carried away.” 

Kai dusted off his chair and sat back down. “I’d say that victory’s worth a drink, Cris.” 

He just laughed and sat down- in his own chair this time- and set his elbow down on the armrest. “Oh no- that doesn’t count as a win.” 

Kai rolled his eyes but clasped his hand and got ready to wrestle. 

“Go!” Cris jerked his hand as soon as he’d said the word, trying for a quick win, but Kai wasn’t having it, slowly bringing their arms back to the middle. He grit his teeth and shoved. 

“You could come back, you know.” Crispin said, relaxing and then trying to catch him off guard again. 

“Are you joking?”

Cris looked serious. “We need more decent fighters- I could put in a good word for you.”

“Fucked if I’m going back there.” Kai ground out through his clenched teeth. 

“What are you gonna do when you finish the circle walk then?” Cris tried to sound bright and nonchalant despite the effort he was putting in coming through in his voice. 

“I dunno.” Kai was aware he was screwing his face up with the effort of keeping his arm steady.

“You seen any spirits?”

“No.” He growled. 

Crispin raised an eyebrow, and Kai grunted and forced his arm down a little. “I’m not going back.”

“You’re cheating.” Said Cris, as golden sparks started to coil around his arm. 

Slightly ashamed, Kai dropped the magic he’d been subconsciously building, and Cris used the surprise to force his arm down. “Hah! Drink’s on you!”

“Shh- don’t say that so loud- I cant afford to buy a round!” 

“Welll, you know where there’s a job waiting for you if you need money.” 

Kai gave Cris the coldest look he could manage and took a big swig out of the drink he bought before he passed it over. 

“Way to be a sore loser.” Cris said with a smug grin. 

“You want me to spit in that, fill it back up?” 

“Seriously, come train with us tomorrow. It’ll be fun.“

Kai huffed. “You’re all just trying to make me come back.”

Cris laughed. “Maybe. But Sir’ll be happy to see you. He was worried about you, you know.” 

“Oh, fine.” 

——

The next morning, when Estelle went to the training hall for her usual morning practice, she was surprised to see Prince Edwin already there, lying on the floor and making constellations of flowers float lazily through the air, held up with gusts of rich purple magic. 

She knew that the royal party were staying until midday when the tides would be best for their journey to the mermaid forests, but she wasn’t due for any formal meetings with them after breakfast and she certainly hadn’t been expecting to find Edwin here. 

“Hallo.” He said, and the flowers withered in on themselves and burst back out into bright white lillies. 

“Good morning, Prince Edwin. I hadn’t expected to see you here.” She curtsied. 

He leant up on his elbows and the flowers started to dissolve entirely. “Just practicing. Bloody useless as it is, Father will pitch a fit if I don’t practice. I could do trees, I suppose, but I’d ruin the practice hall and it’s raining outside.” He stretched and got to his feet. “Floramancy’s only good for one thing - “ he smirked at her and then pulled a flower out from behind her ear like he was a magician. 

Gerald coughed pointedly, and Estelle rolled her eyes. “I’ll get on with my drills, then.” 

“Mm.” The rose Edwin was holding disappeared, and he retreated to the edge of the hall to sit down as Estelle began to work through her forms, feeling rather embarrassed when she realised that he was unashamedly staring at her as she rather uncertainly moved through the steps and her shaky blue trail of magic built into the right shape.

Gerald sighed when she was finished, and gestured to the gap in the blue trails where she was supposed to finish in the same spot as she started. “As you can see, Miss Estelle, you were stepping too far in between the latter half of the technique- and put more force behind those jabs, please.” 

She nodded and began again, but this time her jabs were too sloppy- she could see it as she was going, what was supposed to be a controlled bright outburst of energy was more like a spilled puddle bleeding out of the formation, but each time she did it, it seemed to get worse. 

Gerald shook his head. “Second Kata!” He barked. 

She bowed, repositioned her feet, and started again. 

They trained more or less in silence for a while, Estelle running through all the Kata she knew and then focusing on a particularly tricky attack where she had to leap up, then materialise and dissolve her bow before she hit the ground, so she was out of breath and very glad for the distraction when the door to the courtyard opened and a gang of soaking wet men and women spilled in from the outside, headed up by an older man who was perfectly dry despite the rain. 

He started, then bowed deeply when he saw Estelle and the Prince. “Excuse me, your Highness, my lady, we shall go outside.”

A barely suppressed groan ran through the group behind him, who were trying to dry themselves off with magic with varying levels of success. 

Gerald bowed deeply. “High Master Scawfell, there is no need. We can share. Or-“ he turned a critical eye to Estelle, who’s technique was completely falling apart in the face of the High master of all practitioners of the empty fist, “I’m sure my pupil would benefit from training alongside you, if it wouldn’t be an inconvenience.” 

Scawfell bowed. “It would be my pleasure. Master Edwin, would you like to join as well?” 

He grinned and shrugged. “Might as well.” 

Scawfell smiled, affection softening the hard craggy lines of his face. “Very well. Line up, everyone.” He clapped his hands, and everyone fell in to rank- Estelle was politely shuffled to nearest the door, where the lowest ranked pupils were to go, whilst Edwin already seemed to know his place and strode confidently to the back row, just behind Estelle, before breaking rank and all but yelling to a man across the hall. 

“Hey! You’re back! Didn’t you leave?”

Estelle looked to see who he was talking to and- strangely enough, it was Kai, who bowed and greeted the Prince as though he knew him. 

“Good to have you back!” Said Edwin, striving through the ranks as though they were bowling skittles and clapping the taller man on the shoulder. “I’m awful with servants names but I do remember a face.” 

Scawfell interjected “Kai is merely training with us for old times sake, Master Edwin.”

He crooked an eyebrow. “Pity. The battle at Hayden’s veil really did a number on you lot, didn’t it.”

Kai flinched and shut his eyes a moment, muttering something non committal before Scawfell pointedly told Edwin to return to his place. “Master Edwin, if you will train with us, you will follow my rules.” 

“Right, sorry.” He shook his head and winked at Estelle, then followed her gaze back over to Kai with a frown. 

High Master Scawfell’s training wasn’t all that different to regular training. First they warmed up, ran through drills, and attacks, then longer drills, then they paired off to practice receiving attacks and piercing a guard. Estelle was paired with the Prince, despite him far outmatching her, and he didn’t seem to be one to hold back- her arms soon felt numb from taking one too many powerful blows. 

“So you do empty fist as well as floramancy?” She asked, flexing her fingers and trying to get the magic to flow through her tired and overworked system, failing to, then lashing out with a sloppy punch with no magic behind it. 

He blocked it easily. “A bit. Father only cares for Elvish magic.”

“Ah- ow!” He easily batted her guard away and flicked her on the forehead. 

“You have to actually guard, you know- not just hold your hands out and hope.” 

“I’m tired.” She complained, but did her best, holding out for a while longer with shaking arms until one particularly violent hit to her shoulder sent sparks shooting down her right arm and it dropped to her side, unable to move no matter how hard she tried. “Shit!” She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to cry- it hurt! 

“Sorry, did that do your arm?” 

“Yes.” She hissed, wanting to hit him. It wasn’t the first time this had happened to her- anyone who seriously trained in magic ended up overdoing it when they were training, especially when they were trying to increase their capacity, but that didn’t make it any less painful. Her hand twitched and a vein in her arm throbbed as magic tried to force its way back into her arm. 

“Take a break, Miss Estelle.” Gerald called out, and she’d never been so grateful to hear his voice as she bowed shakily in the direction of the group and limped over to him.

“You did well today. I’ll get you some water.” He said gruffly, as she sank down onto the floor to observe the others, Edwin hovering beside her. 

“I really am sorry.” He sounded more sincere this time as he slid down the wall to sit next to her. 

“Tell that to my arm.” She griped. Her eyes flitted across the group still training until she saw Kai’s pale golden magic. His form was beautiful- graceful and controlled, magic arcing around him and interweaving with the orange of the man he was paired with and diffusing through the air like smoke. 

Edwin followed her eyes. “He has good technique. Surprised to see him back, though.” 

“Who, Kai? Or the orange guy?”

“You know him?” Edwin turned to her.

“A little. He’s helped me out a few times in the troll kingdom.” She explained what happened and his eyebrow raised higher and higher, until she finished her story and he full on snorted at her with a massive grin. 

“Ah, a sporting girl.”

“What? It’s nothing like that-“

“Move in on him- soldiers are always happy to get their dick wet.” 

“I’m not going to-“

“Or pussy wet- lady soldiers are much the same- all that pent up aggression, lovely!” He kissed his fingers like a chef and laughed even louder. 

“I have not and will not do anything improper with anyone!”

“Of course, of course~ I’d better be going, I have to go over the plans for the meeting.” Edwin nudged her and then stood up, conjured a massive bouquet of cauliflowers and presented them to her with a flourish. 

“M’lady.” 

She accepted it automatically and he cackled raucously all the way out of the training hall. Unlike his other flowers, they didn’t dissolve. She glared at them.

“Miss Estelle? How is your arm?” She looked up from her unwanted vegetable arrangement to the kindly face of Master Scawfell. “Oh- I’ll be alright. I’m kind of getting the feeling back, and I can move it a bit already.” She grimaced. “I might call it a day, though. I still have my other duties, and I don’t feel like going for two burnouts in a row.”

“Understandable.” He chuckled. “In any case, thank you for your hard work today, and you’d be very welcome to train with me any time we cross paths again. Keep doing your best.”

“Thank you.” 

She felt despondent. On her way back to her quarters, she bumped into Gerald with her water, and her gloom must have shown on her face because even he didn’t argue when she asked for an hour or so to recover before beginning her afternoon duties.

She flopped down face first onto her bed and hid her head under the pillows, still thinking sourly about what Edwin had said earlier. Truthfully, if she had really wanted to, it would have been all too simple to have snuck out for a couple of hours to have her way with Kai- was that what he’d been expecting all along?

The way he always smiled at her so warmly- almost like they both shared a secret- he’d always been careful to be just this side of too familiar with her- didn’t seem so gentle and safe now. 

Ugh. Where was this wretched libido when she thought about the several perfectly nice and suitable young men who her parents kept pushing her towards, she thought as she blew out the candle and slipped under the covers...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Poor Estelle is really doubting herself now but there’s some more good stuffing action next chapter don’t worry ;)
> 
> Excuse me while I go write some sword and shield smut now 0 points for guessing it’s gonna be about Leon that man is 100% my type lmao


	7. Sheer cotton dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO lovelies it’s been so long since I updated this! I got really stuck on this chapter but I couldn’t really think of a way to just cut it so I ended up powering through it- hopefully next chap won’t be so many months in between! Enjoy!

She bit her lip, and tried to rally her thoughts- if she was to do this in the middle of the day, she’d better be quick before someone wondered where she was and she was caught, but, she also didn’t want to add fuel to the fire and think about Kai as she pleasured herself- she kept her mind carefully blank as she palmed at her breasts and pinched her nipples, focusing her thoughts on one of the millers at the edge of the Duchy she’d met a few weeks ago- his strong arms dusted with flour from the mill, his soft-looking almond skin and dark eyes, his thin lips quirked into a smile- she belatedly realised that he had a bit of a tummy pushing out the front of his apron, and even back then she’d found herself wanting to squeeze it- she hid her face in the pillows, kind of ashamed at herself for apparently having such a particular type. 

What about Cedryc, the head tailor at one of the guilds in town- he was very attractive, and he was fairly slim. A few months ago all she’d thought about was if he would personally attend to her dress fittings, drape fine silks and furs over her naked body and debate their merits with her, before deciding he preferred her better without and having his way with her amongst the reams of fabric in the back room. 

A well-worn and familiar fantasy, it did make her smile and warm a little, but she was tired of going over and over it by this stage.

How about... a centaur. A shaggy, enormous horse from the north, with an equally shaggy and well-built man’s torso. Hm, but the logistics...

She wondered idly about it for a while, before she mentally gave in and her mind drifted back to the handsome miller. At least he wasn’t Kai. 

She’d be visiting for some reason, maybe expecting the grain stores- he’d invite her back to sample some of the bread made with their flour, and over lunch, they’d get to know each other a little- then, maybe, she’d make an off-colour remark about getting pounded or something, and he’d be a bit embarrassed but up for it- and- 

She focused and did the spell one of her friends told her about- it was hard with only one arm’s magic properly back, but she managed it, forming her magic inside her to fill up her pussy and stretch her out. It was nowhere near as good as a dick- it felt cold, and unnatural, although it tingled pleasantly, and she could change its shape at will- not that her shaky control was helped by how frazzled she was feeling and how the excitement and pleasure filling her was making her magic even worse than usual. 

She imagined Kai would be a lot better at this- his magic flowed gracefully and smoothly wherever he sent it, abundant and powerful. She imagined it would be warmer than hers, too- maybe that was just the golden colour- she smushed her face into the pillow and her own magic fizzed out as she imagined his caressing her, warming her skin where it touched her, then seeping into her core and filling her so much better than she could manage on her own, waves of silky smooth power flowing in to her- he’d stretch her more than she’d ever been - her pussy clenched as she imagined it going further in, stretching out her belly so it swelled out- she rubbed her stomach with one hand as she worked herself with the other, moaning softly- she didn’t know why that image was so hot but she wanted it- she wanted more and more until she could hardly move under it, her navel popping out and her breasts filling and aching- she tipped over the edge, and shuddered through the aftershocks, still massaging her belly. 

—-

For the rest of that day and all of the next, she felt guilty and jumpy, as if people could see straight into her eyes and tell that she’d been doing things like that right in the middle of the day. And now she had to face Kai again, after indulging in those kinds of thoughts about him. 

Her head was still spinning after her confrontation with Edwin the day before. If he thought such things of her, surely everyone else would- the story of how they met and why she kept bringing him along was rather implausible, and he was very handsome- she should tell him not to come anymore, remove the temptation and have done with it- and end any rumours that may have started. 

But she couldn’t bring herself to. It would be removing temptation, but also losing someone she considered a friend, and she had precious few of those. 

As she made her way to the stables, she saw that Kai was waiting there already- in a new deep red tunic that suited him very well- thankfully she had worn purple today, since that shade of red was one of her favourite colours but she didn’t know what she would have done were it commented on that they matched. 

Her heart lurched when he smiled and greeted her- she was careful to be extra proper, and nodded politely and allowed herself to be helped up on to her horse before he could strike up a conversation. 

He hung back as they left the castle gates- but surprisingly, he was turning to Gerald instead of Estelle to talk to. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or offended.

“Uh, Sir Gerald? Could I ask you a question about the etiquette for today?”

“You may.” He nodded and his eyes glinted. “You’re right to enquire- several of the Stone Fae shall be attending today’s dinner, and you would do well not to show us up.”

“So, should I be troll-polite or fae polite? Because the Fae there are the highest ranking but the Trolls are the hosts.”

“Defer to Trollish manners as they are the hosts.” He grimaced. “But- perhaps a tad more restrained? Since the Fae are higher ranking after all.” Gerald sniffed. “Perhaps it would be a good idea to refrain from your usual display of hedonism.”

“But we don’t want to offend the trolls! Or make it seem like we’re ignoring their customs because more powerful creatures around?” Estelle interrupted with a pointed look at Gerald. 

“Mm. Perhaps you’re right.” He said with a small grimace. 

—-

For perhaps the first time since she’d met him, Kai seemed nervous as they entered the trollish banqueting hall. He’d asked Gerald to go over Fae manners with him, which had taken the whole journey, and he was scrupulously polite as they greeted their trollish friends and made new acquaintances amongst the Fae, as well as finally meeting Agata’s husband. The half-giant towered over everyone else there, at least ten feet tall, with a barrel chest and raucous laugh. 

Thankfully, the Stone Fae seemed a tad more relaxed than most of the faery folk Estelle had met before, or perhaps it was that they too were being polite to their troll hosts, deigning to sit and partake in a small meal before the dancing, although of course their food was rather different. Estelle tried not to stare at the Fae seated opposite her as he crunched on lichen-covered rocks that looked far too similar to his mossy skin for him to be eating them. 

They danced in the trollish style, too, which was a lot of fun- the band was raucously loud and the dance involved lots of stomping and twirling about the room switching partners, although between the tall, spindly Fae men and the shorter than the women but still taller than human troll men, she felt a bit like a sack of potatoes at times as she was passed from partner to partner. 

Surprisingly, she also got to dance with Kai- she’d expected him not to know the steps and to have to sit out on the dancing, but he was actually quite a confident dancer, and every time she circled back to him and he picked her up and spun her round to the next partner her heart lurched, thinking about what people would say if they saw them like this. 

Edwin’s pointed jokes about her and Kai still bothered her, more so after her exploits the day before. Although... Kai just seemed too sad to be sleazy like that, and there was a kind of honesty in that. Maybe it was because of their odd situation, but he looked her in the eyes a lot as well- not like the soldiers who always seemed to be looking at her chest (or her bum if she was wearing leggings) and she could tell would start giggling and making comments as soon as she left the room. Maybe palace soldiers were just trained with more manners - but also Kai just seemed kind of broken, to be honest. She hoped he found what he was looking for on the circlet- he said he’d been stopping off at farms and towns for work-maybe he’d even find some farm girl or boy and could live a peaceful life with plenty to eat on a farm somewhere. That gave her a Pang of wistful sadness before a nasty thought jolted her back to reality- it wasn’t likely most would have plenty to eat this winter- the blight ruined a good half of the corn in the north this year, and the potatoes hadn’t done especially well either.

The Fae departed after the dancing finished and the relief in the room was palpable. Fae were unpredictable and capricious, and their wants and needs seemed to change on a coin toss. With lower species like trolls and humans, you knew what you got, at least. 

If only there was dancing at these meetings more often- Estelle had actually managed to work up an appetite for the feast that followed, and kept pace with everyone for the first four courses, much to the amusement of Ulrik, the troll Matriarch’s husband, who was seated across from her.

“You two have quite the healthy appetites, for little humans.” He said, gesturing to her and Kai with his tankard of beer. “Didn’t Agata say something about you having Giant’s blood too, no?” 

“I have a little in me.” 

“And I’m just doing my best because everything’s so delicious.”

“Wonderful, wonderful. It’s so nice to share food with friends, yes?” He patted his own stomach, which was already starting to round out into his lap, and Estelle cursed whatever fashion or hardiness to cold meant that Trollish folk wore so little clothing- he wasn’t wearing a shirt, only a jacket and a fur cape, and she was finding it very difficult not to stare at his bulging muscles and plump belly, all covered in thick wiry hair. 

She gulped and pressed on with her fifth course. At least it was keeping her mind off of yesterday, but she still could feel herself getting wet under all the pressure in her as the dinner progressed and she had to surreptitiously reach down and adjust her leggings, letting out a small huff of relief, but then she jumped back upright as Kai let out an answering moan as he tucked into his food. 

If only he’d stop making those delicious noises it’d be a lot easier not to lust after him so badly. She glanced over to see him unashamedly massaging his belly to try to make more room as he sank back in his chair. 

“Would you believe I think I’m getting used to this?” He said, framing his gut in both hands and pressing in gingerly. “Eating ‘til I’ve got a gut like a watermelon.”

Estelle’s clit throbbed and she felt more wetness dribble out of her, as Agata and Ulrik both laughed at him. 

“Good to know you’re fully appreciating our hospitality.” 

“Who knows- maybe you’ll finally grow some more, little man.” Ulrik added, leaning back with a hand on his own stomach, scratching at his underbelly through the fuzz. 

Estelle looked down so she stopped staring- and noticed a scar peeking out from under the hem of Kai’s tunic where it had ridden up over his tummy. Huh- she’d never seen that before- she supposed she was on the other side of him to last time, so it wouldn’t have noticed- but it looked big. She wondered where it came from- it must have been a long time ago for him to be able to eat like this after such a wound. His fingers absently traced into the groove as he petted himself, and then he pulled his shirt down as if to cover it before returning to the task at hand- demolishing three more courses of pudding to Estelle’s one (she’d skipped a few courses at dinner- pudding was her favourite and the creamy pile of sugared fruits she had did not disappoint) before sinking back into his chair with a groan. 

“Oh- hells, that’s good.” He all but moaned, stifling a belch behind his hand. 

The trolls were mostly the same way- well, not as out of it as Kai, but most of them looked very pleased with themselves as they lounged back against the fur- laden chairs, patting full stomachs and talking idly amongst themselves. Indeed, Gerald was the only one still at all alert, because he’d stopped after the second entree, and Ulrik tiredly kept up a conversation with him about the lava well, and the impact it might have on the local hot springs. 

Estelle let herself slip into a doze, rubbing the sorest part of her stomach and letting it pull her into a stupor. 

She looked up only to see Agata looking at her fondly. “I suppose, soon, we’ll be seeing you with a belly like that all the time, full of child.” 

She started. “What?” 

“Oh- excuse me- I didn’t mean to be rude. Have you two been having trouble with it?”

“Trouble with what?” 

Agata petted her own belly. “With conceiving, of course. I don’t mean to pry- but Ulrik and I had so much trouble getting our Emmie and the twins- I’m always ready to offer a sympathetic ear to others.”

Estelle felt herself go red. “I’m not- I’m not looking to conceive. I’m not even married.” 

Agata looked aghast. “Forgive me, my dear, I just assumed- although you never introduced him as your husband, I suppose- I did not mean to be so rude!” 

“It’s alright, Agata.” Estelle murmured, glancing over at Kai, who, thank the spirits, seemed to be fully asleep already.

Ulrik noticed his wife’s flapping and broke off his conversation with Gerald with a grin. “Now, my dear, what did you do to this poor girl?”

“Nothing, she just made a mistake!” Estelle waved her hands, not wanting Gerald to know what had happened. 

“So-“ Agata looked across at Kai and lowered her voice. “Who is he to you? Are you courting?”

“I should hope not.” Gerald cut in, looking thunderous. “He is far too low a rank to even consider such a-“

“He’s a friend.” Estelle interrupted him. “I met him by chance- it’s rather a silly story, actually- he won the eating competition at the summer festival at the castle and I asked him to come along with me to meet with you - because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to eat enough so I thought I’d bring along someone who could. And then we became friends, and I asked him to keep coming.” 

“Well, that is rather an odd story.” Ulrik laughed, but not unkindly. “I hope you realise now that there was no need to be nervous.”

“Yes, you all have been nothing but kind to me.” 

“You’ve been such perfect guests, my dear.”

—-

Kai didn’t remember falling asleep, so it was quite a shock to be woken up by Ulrik to a darkened banqueting hall, devoid of guests. 

“What? Where is everyone?” He screwed his eyes shut and rubbed his stiff neck. 

“Everyone else is already in bed- it seemed a shame to wake you. Come, after what happened last time you’ll stay the night with us here. I’ll help you to your room.”

It was embarrassing but he did need the help- leaning heavily on the giant man’s arm, he managed to limp out of the banquet hall and along the long halls towards the guest chambers. 

“Are you truly not courting Estelle?” The troll King startled him again with his question.

“Uh- what? We’re not- not at all like that. 

He looked down at him shrewdly. “She likes you, you know.”

He laughed. “You think so? It’s out of the question, anyway. She’s too high a rank for me.”

He scoffed. “You humans and your hierarchies. Seems like a waste, if you ask me.”

“Unfortunately, you’re not the one I’d have to ask.” 

The older man sighed, patted him on the back and wished him a good night as they parted at the door to his room. He sunk into the pile of furs happily- trollish folk didn’t go in for beds the way humans did, but the furs was nice and cozy in the cold underground tunnels, and a few of them seemed to have heating charms sewn in as he burrowed down into them. 

They did seem to have some spare clothes kept for guests- quite a nice cotton shirt and some long underwear for pyjamas had been left out for him, and he decided to make use of them, shedding his tight leggings with a happy sigh and tossing his shirt and underthings into a pile in the corner. Unfortunately, they seemed to only have thought about normal humans- neither garment fit very well, especially with ten courses of food in him making his belly strain comically against the thin material- he wished he could see how he looked before he stripped off the shirt and pulled the shorts down as low as they could go to take the pressure off. Oh, well. 

He blew out the candle and laid back, looking up at the cluster of dimly glowing fungus in the ceiling, and massaging his overstuffed belly. He wished he had been born a troll so he could eat like this all the time- his belly wasn’t hurting as much as it had been right after he’d finished, but he was still feeling light-headed and dazed as his stomach worked to deal with his mountainous dinner. 

His eyes were drooping shut again, when suddenly the curtain serving as the room’s door was pushed aside and in came Estelle- squinting in the low light and wearing only a cotton nightdress. 

He leant up on his elbows. “Miss Estelle?” What the hell was she doing here? He really hadn’t taken her for the sort who’d be up for a bit of fun with the help- 

Sure enough, she jumped about a foot in the air and backed away- “Kai! This is your room? I thought- I was lost- uh- “

He didn’t miss how her eyes went straight down to his chest before they widened and snapped back up- fuck. He pulled the furs up to cover the big scar. “What were you looking for?”

“Bathroom.” She muttered, not meeting his eyes.

“Next door over that way.” He gestured.

“Thanks. I’ll- good night.” She bowed and all but fled. 

“Good night.”

He sank back down with a sigh, trying not to think about how the thin cotton had clung to the tops of her breasts, and how he could see her belly was still full and round from dinner. 

If only she hadn’t been lost... he shut his eyes and rubbed his stomach again, half-imagining what they’d do to each other, but he was too tired and soon fell asleep.


End file.
